A fairly strong OpEd from NYT on Obama's lack of movement on all that stirring rhetoric. Not as pointed as I would be, but for NYT, it's devastating.
The most common rationale for his current passivity is that his plate is too full. But the president has so far shown an impressive inclination both to multitask and to argue passionately for bedrock American principles when he wants to. Relegating fundamental constitutional rights to the bottom of the pile until some to-be-determined future seems like a shell game.
As Wolfson reminds us in his book “Why Marriage Matters,” Dr. King addressed such dawdling in 1963. “For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait,’ ” King wrote. “It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’ ”
The gay civil rights movement has fewer obstacles in its path than did Dr. King’s Herculean mission to overthrow the singular legacy of slavery. That makes it all the more shameful that it has fewer courageous allies in Washington than King did. If “American Idol” can sing out for change on Fox in prime time, it ill becomes Obama, of all presidents, to remain mute in the White House.
I have a slightly different take: the most intelligible rationale for Obama's passivity is that he's a Democrat, and as far as gay civil rights go, the Democrats are long on talk and short on everything else. Besides, they're all terrified of the 20% of the country that still call themselves Republicans.
2 comments:
I don't believe Obama is homophobic. He's only been in office for four months. He's dealing with the worse economic crisis since the Great Depression, the foreign policy mess he inherited from Bush, the banking crisis, and the failing car industry, just to mention a few. The announcement by Hillary Clinton that gay diplomats will receive equal benefits is Obama inspired. He has said he will end "don't ask, don't tell" and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, both policies thanks to Bill Clinton. Give the man some time.
I don't believe he's homophobic either, and I don't think his primary concern should necessarily be gay civil rights right this minute -- but he's proven that he can multitask, unlike the previous incumbent, and it's not like he has to do it all by himself -- he's got a whole damned government to work with, which happens to be the biggest employer in the country. Surely someone has time to draft a plan? Or at least a memo?
And suddenly "repeal DADT" becomes "change DADT" and DOMA disappears back into the woodwork, while the states are taking action that the White House doesn't even acknowledge. Sorry, no -- I'm a little tired of the "wait" mantra. There is a very sad history with the Democrats of gay issues becoming paramount when it's fundraising time, and not until.
If you've followed this blog at all, you know I have no patience with the "wait until someone hands it to us" philosophy of activism. Digby made a point in a post I linked to a couple of days ago, about the Dallas Principles: we don't get action unless we keep pushing, and our turn will come when we make enough noise.
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